Springfield, Illinois — Illinois State Senator Tony Munoz (D-Chicago) is urging Governor Pat Quinn to allocate the funds that were provided to him in this year’s budget to cover the costs of the Monetary Awards Program grant.

"Over 145,000 low income students rely on MAP grants to be able to afford their college tuition,” Senator Munoz said.  “By not allocating these funds, the Governor has essentially cut off these students’ ability to receive a higher education.” This is why the Senate and the House of Representatives have passed Senate Bill 1180 that will increases the amount of funding for MAP grants from $220 million to $425 million. 

These are not new funding dollars.  Instead, these funds come from the Fiscal Year 2010 Budget the General Assembly passed earlier this year.  Governor Quinn was given discretionary funds in that budget and he chose not to fully fund the program.  By passing this bill, the Illinois General Assembly is now authorizing him to spend an additional $205 million to fund the remainder of the MAP grant program.

The MAP grant program covers about 66% of community college tuition and fee costs, on average, and just 48% of tuition and fee costs at public universities.   Because of this current lack of funding, students are now bearing more of the burden, while at the same time contending with the increasing costs of tuition and student fees.

This type of grant can only be used to cover the cost of tuition and fees.  In addition, the amount provided to the student is based on their level of need and the highest amount a student can qualify for is currently set at $4,968.  Other requirements to receive the MAP grant include students maintaining at least a 2.0 GPA and be working towards an undergraduate degree. 

“Higher education should be available to everyone who wants to attend college, not just those who come from wealth,” Senator Munoz said.